The SUBU BME awards is a student-developed initiative that aims to celebrate student of colour contributions and achievements at Bournemouth University and is a positive step forward in transforming the institutional culture into a more culturally democratic space.
The 2017 awards delivered an evening of entertainment and celebration with two choirs, a musical performance, dance performance and performance poetry. It was great to see the contributions that students of colour make towards “enriching the world” being recognised – if only within the student union. While it was nice to see one or two colleagues, it was a pity that university leadership was not there to share the experience .
BU still has some way to go to creating a more inclusive, equitable and culturally democratic environment and addressing racial disparities like the attainment gap. So when students take a giant step forward by developing strategies to create inclusion, these achievements should be more widely recognised and acknowledged across the institution.
I was proud to be there to celebrate student success and to present the award for Academic Excellence to three outstanding students: Ikram Asghar, Claudia Amoah and Sharon Nyangwe.
